The original instructions given to ancient Israel regarding the first two Holy Days of the annual Holy Day cycle clearly emphasize the isolation of leaven. This applied to both the restriction of eating it and its removal from their dwellings (Exodus 12:15-20). The fact that the days of Unleavened Bread follow immediately after the Passover is important. Christ’s sacrifice paid the penalty for our sins and opened the way for us to come into a close, reconciled relationship with Christ and the … [Read more...] about Leaven and Reconciliation
Jesus Christ
Time of Christ’s Death and Resurrection
We know that the Biblical details of Christ’s death and resurrection are central components of the gospel message. The early New Testament Church kept the Passover as a remembrance of Christ's death. The details surrounding His death and resurrection are also an anchor of our faith. To rehearse some of the timing around the events of the week of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, we need to begin with statements Christ gave us and the prophecies in the Old Testament that say He would be … [Read more...] about Time of Christ’s Death and Resurrection
The Garden of Eden Prototype
When God created mankind there was a strong bond between the Creator and the Created. This bond extended to the rest of the earthly creation that God had made. Man was to work with the environment to subdue it and have dominion. In other words, he was to dress and keep it. God and man walked together, they talked together, and they worked together. All of those things are contained in the first chapters of Genesis. The Creator, Man, and the environment all worked … [Read more...] about The Garden of Eden Prototype
The Search for Significance
Today, the entire world finds itself in a time of vast, uneasy change, where economic, social, political, and religious turmoil are the rule of the day not the exception. And now, we hear about the advent of AI. Our minds can only imagine how much that’s going to accelerate or increase what is already uneasy change. Already, the constant bombardment produces a toxic environment of unresolved stress. Unresolved stress leads to disconnected lives. Disconnected lives lead to helplessness. … [Read more...] about The Search for Significance
The True Nature of Leadership
I think we can say factually that we are in a crisis of leadership in this country and the world. It is not just political government. Leadership is also suffering in education, business, city governments, families and in the Churches. Today I want to take a practical look at this issue of leadership. It’s not so much a discussion of leadership principles but more about the whole concept of leadership, the nature of leadership. First, I want to look at leadership from a worldly … [Read more...] about The True Nature of Leadership
Godly Justice
Administering justice is a major theme of the Bible. King David administered justice to all his people (2 Samuel 8:15). Indeed, God expects His people to administer justice: "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?" (1 Corinthians 6.2-3). So that is the question: Do you and I practice justice … [Read more...] about Godly Justice
Conquering the Struggle
Is there a more maligned name than the name of Jesus Christ? I just recently read something written by Jim Wallis who’s known as an evangelical pastor, a social activist, and a voice of the left-wing of the religious party, the religious left. He says: “It is essential that we understand the religious nature of our present crisis. At this point, “Jesus” is still a very useful tool in the hands of tyrants. The liberationists, socialists, barbarians, and Scythians can … [Read more...] about Conquering the Struggle